


Bug

by Sharcade



Category: Camp Camp (Web Series)
Genre: Child Neglect, Crying, Fever, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Pain, Sick Character, Sickfic, Vomiting, Whump
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-16
Updated: 2018-10-16
Packaged: 2019-08-03 02:09:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,320
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16317137
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sharcade/pseuds/Sharcade
Summary: The last thing Max wants to do while he's almost too sick to stand is drag some other annoying assholes into his situation. He just wants to die alone in peace. Of course, that may sound a little dramatic, but sometimes you can just be too sick to care.





	Bug

Max didn't feel well.

It had started last night as just a bit of aching, just a little headache, it was nothing he wasn't used to. Max didn't always sleep well, headaches at night were frequent after a whole day of tiredly dodging camp activities. When he had fallen asleep after a few hours of stirring in his bed, he had naturally assumed he would be fine come morning light. That being said, it was now two in the morning, and Max was wide awake.  _Max didn't feel well._

For a brief moment, Max wondered if he should wake up Neil. Neil was smart, Neil would know why Max felt freezing cold and sweaty and dizzy all at the same time, Neil could go get a counsellor for him or something like that, something useful. Max paused for a moment. He wondered if a counsellor would care if he was sick or not. He couldn't see Gwen doing much more than giving him a slap on the back and telling him to get well soon, but David was another story. David was a mother hen, David would dote on him for every second that it took for him to stop feeling so nauseous. The thought of David's disgustingly gratuitous affection only made him feel sicker.

Max rubbed his eyes as he swung his legs over the side of his bed, struggling to his feet. The second he was standing, the whole tent seemed to tilt, Max staggering slightly as he grabbed his hoodie with a clammy hand. His hoodie would help, he was freezing, he just needed to get warm, he was  _freezing._

Why was he so sweaty?

Max choked out a shaky breath as he pulled his hoodie on over his head. His head, his head was  _aching_ , it felt like somebody was smashing a brick against his skull over and over from the inside. It was hurting his eyes, almost enough to make him want to just go back to sleep, but he had to get out of the tent, he was going to hurl.

Wrapping an arm gently around his stomach, Max walked out into the campgrounds, his nose scrunching in discomfort as he was immediately met with rain pattering against his face. Sighing quietly, Max pulled his hood up, his stomach lurching uncomfortably as he walked briskly out to the tree line. His own pulse was hammering in his ears, something was definitely wrong, this wasn't just his normal tired sick, he was actually ill this time and it was annoying as hell.

Bracing himself against a tree, Max took a few deep breaths, shivering as the cold rain began to seep through his hoodie. He was cold, he was  _so cold_ , he just needed to hurry up out here so he could get back in bed. Max gently rested his head against the tree, panting quietly and wincing as his stomach gave another groan of nauseous pain. 

Then, as predicted, he vomited.

Max coughed as his vomit splattered against the ground, the camper cringing and quickly turning away from the mess. What a waste of a meal. Not that the camp food was anything enjoyable anyway, but it was still food, and this probably meant Max would wake up starving tomorrow. It was also just disgusting in general. Reluctantly, Max wiped his mouth on his sleeve, silently reminding himself to wash the garment as soon as he got the chance. Vomiting hadn't made him feel much better, he still felt so dizzy that it was proving difficult to even walk back to the tent. He felt like he was going to collapse, part of him wanted to just give in and let it happen.

 _No,_ he reminded himself, that wasn't an option. It was raining and it was cold, he was only going to get sicker if he spent the night face down in the mud out here. His feet dragging against the saturated ground, Max diligently made his way back towards his tent. He squeezed his eyes shut tightly as the pain of his migraine resurfaced; this was a nightmare, this is what he imagined death felt like. If God was real, he was sure a fucking coward.

"Finish the job, bitch," Max muttered under his breath, squinting at the sky as he pulled back the flap of his tent.

Neil was still fast asleep, Max hadn't expected him to be awake, he didn't know how he would have explained his little trip out to the woods if Neil had been awake when he got back. Max still felt nauseous, that was something he  _hadn't_ expected as much. When you were nauseous and you vomited you were supposed to feel better, right? Why did he still feel like the entire camp was swaying?

Max's hand quickly snapped up to cover his mouth as he gagged, bile threatening to rise from his stomach if he didn't lie back down soon. His vision spinning, Max took a cautious step towards his bed. In what seemed like a single second, he tripped over his own feet, collapsing heavily into the dirt of his tent floor without much more than a distressed groan. He was too tired to care if he was breathing dirt.

"Max?"

Fuck.

"Holy shit, Max, are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Max muttered, pushing himself shakily off of the ground before dropping back down into the dirt pathetically. "Go back to sleep Neil."

"Why are you wet? Were you outside?"

" _Just go back to sleep._ "

"You sound awful," Neil mumbled, carefully getting out of bed and kneeling down to Max's level. "Can you get up?"

Max didn't answer; his throat felt like it was raw, he felt like he was going to vomit again, he didn't want to talk anymore. Neil frowned, his eyes scanning Max as he dwelled over solutions in his head. Max looked  _awful._ He was soaking wet, his face was somehow pale and flushed at the same time, he looked  _exhausted_ , and Neil could practically feel the heat pouring off of him from where he knelt. Neil had never seen him like this.

"Do you want me to get David?" he asked tentatively, pressing the back of his hand to Max's forehead. "God, you're burning up..."

"Don't get David," Max insisted drowsily, his eyes falling shut as he struggled to stay conscious. "Nn...No counsellors. I'm fine."

Sighing, Neil carefully draped Max's arm over his shoulders, lifting the smaller camper onto his feet. Max let out a quiet whine, and Neil couldn't distinguish whether it was a whine of protest or just a general whine of pain. Max didn't seem to be protesting much; Neil figured he was too spent to even try.

"What were you doing out in the rain?" Neil questioned tiredly, setting Max down on his bed and tucking Mr. Honeynuts into Max's arms gently.

"Puking," Max muttered, hugging his bear weakly to his chest as sweat beaded down his face.

"You threw up?"

"The fuck does it matter?"

"Max, how sick  _are_ you?"

"I'm fine!" Max snapped abruptly, regretting it immediately as his stomach lurched.

Max subtly placed a hand over his mouth, squeezing his eyes shut as he took in a few deep breaths.  _Don't throw up, don't throw up, don't throw up._ Neil watched him closely, letting out a short sigh and standing up straight. Max watched nervously as Neil grabbed their tent's trash can, dropping it in front of Max's bed and eyeing the camper once again.

"In case you throw up," he elaborated. "That way you won't have to go out in the rain again."

"Mm, yeah, whatever, thanks," Max mumbled, more grateful than he was willing to admit.

"Max, I'm gonna go get David, okay?"

"No-"

"No counsellors, I know," Neil interrupted. "But I'm making an executive decision here."

"Fuck your executive decision," Max slurred through his fingers, squinting at Neil.

"They'd know in the morning anyway, Max," Neil insisted. "You look awful."

Max actually didn't know what he looked like right now. Probably dirty. Probably dirty and sweaty.

"Fine," Max spat, dropping his head unceremoniously onto his pillow and wincing at the burst of pain that followed. "Go nark."

Max rolled over, glaring at the wall of his tent as Neil left briskly. He was in pain, too much pain for him to just ignore, and it was  _infuriating._ He didn't want counsellors involved in this, he didn't want people fussing over him the way Neil was right now. He just wanted to be left alone like he would have been at  _home_. Max sighed, hugging his bear tightly and burying his face in its fluff. If he fell back asleep before David got here, maybe the counsellor would just leave. He was exhausted, he could definitely fall asleep, that wasn't so hard, he had almost passed out in the dirt mere minutes ago.

Then, nausea hit him again.

Max bolted upright, quickly fumbling out of bed and grasping at the trash can hurriedly. He had barely bent over it before his stomach was upheaving, his throat burning as he vomited once again into the trash can. Max coughed and sputtered, taking a few deep breaths to calm himself. His eyes were watering, and for a second he wondered if it was due to the force of his throwing up or if he was really crying. It was a coin toss, really.

"Ma- Oh, hey, careful, are you okay?"

Neil's voice flooded Max's senses once again, Neil's hand falling on his shoulder as Max panted over the trash can.

"M'fine," Max mumbled, wiping his mouth on his sleeve and coughing painfully. "M _'fine._ "

"Max, oh my gosh, are you alright?"

_David._

"I  _said,_ " Max began again, glaring daggers up at the counsellor as Neil gently ushered him back into bed. "I'm  _fine._ "

"He threw up twice," Neil noted, looking up at David as the counsellor frowned down at Max. "He was lying on the ground when I woke up, I think he has a fever."

"Definitely," David mumbled, placing a hand over Max's forehead. "Max, how do you feel?"

Max didn't answer, he was done repeating himself, he had told them a million times that he was  _fine_ , this wasn't worth his time anymore. Instead, he jerked his head away from David's hand, cringing as his migraine surged with the motion. He felt faint, and he assumed it had shown, because David instantly put his hands on Max's shoulders, settling him back down on his pillow.

"Max," David began cautiously. "I need you to be honest with me, are you going to be okay?"

Max grunted softly, swatting David's hands away and opening his eyes slightly. David looked concerned. Neil looked concerned. They were concerned for his wellbeing; that wasn't something Max was particularly used to. If he told them he was sick, they would actually help him, they weren't just going to ignore him and leave him to hope for the best.

"I-..." Max began, hesitating slightly before letting out a hot breath. "I-I don't feel well."

"Are you still nauseous?" David questioned, gently stroking Max's hair back from his sweaty forehead.

Max nodded in response, an action he soon realized was a mistake when his head gave another pathetic and painful protest at his movements. He had already thrown up twice and he  _still_ felt like he was going to vomit, he was uncomfortable, he was sweaty and freezing and  _tired._

"Do you want to go to a doctor?"

"S'too expensive," Max slurred, words he was familiar with hearing at home any time he asked to be taken to a medical professional.

"I'll pay for it. It's alright."

"Max, you really should go to a doctor," Neil added pensively. "You look horrible, there might be something wrong."

"It's probably just the flu," David mumbled curiously, looking over Max. "Did you not get a flu shot?"

" _Expensive,_ " Max repeated, scrunching his nose in discomfort as his throat burned with his words.

"Max has asthma," Neil chimed in, tapping David on the shoulder. "So he should probably get some antibiotics if it's the flu."

"Right, okay, we're going to take you to the clinic, alright Max?" David informed, Max grunting softly in response.

They cared about him. They cared about his health.

"I want Neil to come," Max mumbled, the words leaving him before he even knew what he was saying. 

_Embarrassing._

"Neil, can you-"

"Yeah." Neil agreed quickly. "Max, do you want me to get Nikki?"

Max nodded gently, blinking in and out of consciousness as he struggled to stay awake. He wanted to at least be able to walk to the car on his own, he wasn't  _that_ pathetic. He didn't need to be carried like a child.

"Alright Neil, you go round up Nikki, I'm going to tell Gwen what's going on and get Max in the car."

"Right, okay."

Max didn't really register anything that happened after that. The first thing he became aware of was that he was definitely in the car, and he definitely hadn't walked there himself. Great. One more shred of dignity chipped away by David. The second thing he became aware of was Mr. Honeynuts being tucked into his arms, Max hugging the bear tightly on reflex. He was half asleep, his head resting on somebody's shoulder - Neil's, he would later realize - with somebody brushing his hair back - Nikki, by process of elimination.

Once he got over the initial humiliation of having his friends coddle him, it was almost soothing in a sense. He wasn't used to being cared for, much less coddled, and he  _definitely_ wasn't used to being taken to a clinic. Maybe he wouldn't have to just stay sick for a month now. His head aching dully with each bump they drove over, Max found himself eventually drifting into unconsciousness.

Maybe it wasn't so bad to be cared for.

**Author's Note:**

> I now have an official Tumblr! Feel free to stop by and drop a request!
> 
> https://sharcade-involved.tumblr.com/


End file.
